3 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

Los Angeles, CA Times, 4/7/12:

In a blow to Orange County's hopes for a boost to business and tourism, the California bullet train project has dropped a link to Anaheim from its current, $68-billion plan.

This is the story.

[KevinKorell]

The business plan was adopted with an amendment committing the authority to work with transportation agencies in Orange County to identify cost-effective ways to enable a "one-seat ride" to and from Anaheim, which was originally left out of the revised plan. View the full article

[EvergreenRailfan]

I was wondering with this blended approach as they are calling it, with bookending it on both ends with the existing commuter rail systems(CalTrain, ACE, and Metrolink), have they solved the problems with getting the line over Tehachapi Pass portion? Or will that come later. If it were not for the congestion problem, wouldn't the San Juoquin service already be terminating in Los Angeles, or San Diego? California started investing in their intrastate Amtrak services since just before Governor Brown was elected the first time(final year of Reagan's time in the Governor's office), and they did a good job with upgrading the existing services over the years, but perhaps they waited too long to take this next step. I know a lot of other problems happened in the interim, including Prop.13, and up here in the Evergreen State, we have our own version of the Golden State's Howard Jarvis. Although the legislature has not overturned Eyman's latest initiative on restricting the lawmakers ability to pass tax hikes(they can do that with a supermajority in the first two years, a simple majority after that), he's filed a new initiative to restore the limits anyway(force of habit, I guess).

[KevinKorell]

Huffington Post, 4/19/12:

California High Speed Rail Slammed In New Government Report Defunding Project Recommended

Despite a revamped plan that's expected to shave $30 billion off the overall cost of the project, high speed rail in California still faces stiff opposition in its goal of connecting the northern and southern portions of the state with the nation's first ever dedicated bullet train.

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